Saturday, March 26, 2011

Salt Lake City & Kennecott Brigham Mine!!

How we look Traveling

Same as Carol's motorhome

The main object of our 1998 trip is the "1998 Up,Up & Away" Balloon Festival in Albuquerque NM. The festival is from September 20 to October 12, a three week caravan.
While we were making our plans, our next door neighbor "Carol", said that she really wanted to go, but didn't want to drive her motorhome across country from Florida to Nevada by herself. We told her that she could tag along with us in her motorhome. She planned to meet friends at the caravan. ( When traveling any distance, I like to give myself pleanty of extra time on the road for break downs, side trips of interest etc).

We had planned a stop in Salt Lake City for a few days. Boy-O-Boy, am I glad that we did. Carol wanted to see the "Salt Lake Mormon Tabernaqcle Choir". She got us tickets to the mid-week Choir Practice.The sounds of the choir were almost unbelievable to hear . We thoroughly enjoyed the practice. It was an experience that we will not soon forget!

Mormon Tabernacle ChoirIn 1863 the Mormons started to build the auditorium that would become one

ABOUT THE MORMONS TRIP WEST !

Mormon's move Westward First used in 1867, the dome-shaped building is so acoustically sensitive that a pin dropped at one end can be clearly heard at the other end 170 feet away. Its magnificent organ is recognized as one of the world's great instruments. Temple Square, in the heart of Salt Lake City, is the home of the Morman Tabernacle Choir, Here, at the "crossroads of the West", the choir has sung the sacred hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the great choral works of the masters for nearly a century and half. History of the Choir; In 1846, the mormons were searching for a place where they could freely worship God. On their westward trek across the vast American continent, the pioneers often broke the prairie's stillness with the sound of their voices.

Singing hymns around the campfire on their westward journey became a nightly custom. One of these hymns, its words written as the pioneers made their westward journey, was "Come, Come, Ye Saints" by William Clayton. It retains today an exalted place in the repertoire of the Tabernacle Choir: And should we die before our journey's through, Happy day!

Amateur Short Wave

All is well ! We then are free from toil and sorrow, too; With the just we shall dwell !

On July 24,1847, when the first group of Mormon pioneers had crossed the rugged Wasatch Mountains into the wide valley of the Great Salt Lake, their leader, Brigham Young, looked long and earnestly at what he saw,

RadioThen he said,"It is enough. This is the right place." It was here , a month later, that the Tabernacle Choir had its beginning.

Television

The Choir - Gains World renown - The choir's first network radio program (with the organ, choir, and announcer sharing a single microphone ) was transmitted on July 15,1929. Today, after more than 65 years and 3,425 broadcasts, "Music and the Spoken Word" is the oldest continuous nationwide network broadcast in America. The program is now released worldwide through some 1,500 radio, television, and cable stations weekly. In addition to these broadcasts, the choir's international concerts tours; award-winning recordings, and involvement in major motion pictures, television specials, and satellite broadcasts have spread its fame throughout the world. Choir Members; Members of the Tabernacle Choir are selected on the basis of character and musical competence. A large cross section of occupations is represented. In the choir's ranks are representatives of nearly every trade and profession, including contractors, secretaries, physicians, homemakers, school teachers, nurses, salesmen, and accountants. For many, choir membership is a proud family tradition. There are twenty husband-wife combinations, and many families boast two or more generations of choir membership. Choir members sing because they love to share truth and the beauty of music with people everywhere.
Some of them commute as far as 164 miles round-trip two or more times weekly, not only for the regular network broadcasts, but for rehearsals, conferences, and other evants. All contribute their talents and time without compensation, except for the joy they receive in service.
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Another interesting stop that we made was at the Kennecotts Bingham's Copper Open Pit Mine. In 1848, two brothers, Sanford and Thomas Bingham, sons of Erastue Bingham, Mormon pioneers who grazed their family's and other's cattle and horses there discovered copper minerals. They reported their find to their leader, Brigham Young, who advised against pursuing mining operations because the survival and establishment of settlements was of paramount importance at that time. The brothers did not stake a claim. In 1850, the Bingham family went to settle what is now Weber County, leaving the canyon still today known by their name.
Today, as the second largest copper producer in the United States, Kennecott Utah Copper provides about 18-25% percent of the U.S.'s copper needs. Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Mine is one of the largest man-made excavations in the world. It is one of the top producing copper mines in the world with cumulative production at more than 18.7 million tons of copper. Every year, Kennecott produces approximately 300,000 tons of copper, along with 500,000 ounces of gold, 4 million ounces of silver, about 30 million pounds of molybdenum, and about 1 million tons of sulfuric acid, a by-product of the smelting process. The mining pit is 0.75 miles deep and 2.5 miles wide.

Kennecott Brigham Canyon Mine

Tire from mining truck

The Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine and the Great Wall of China are the only man-made objects that can be seen by Astronauts from space.
These photos were taken from the visitor's Centers outside the viewing area. That is June & I standing in front of the Big Truck Tire.
There is a good video there that tells of the Past History, the Present and the Future. Core samples indicate that mining will continue at least until 2020, and maybe longer.
When you are traveling through Utah, be sure that you make Salt Lake City at least a 3 day stop. You will not regret it!